USA > Connecticut > Representative citizens of Connecticut, biographical memorial > Part 50
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His wife, Matilda (Coddington) Goodwin, died in 1900, and later he married Alice Howland Goodwin, of Hartford. Several months were spent in California, where old friends and the scenes of early life were revisited, while with great interest was noted the growth and development of that fair land. Upon his return east he settled in Hartford. No longer strong enough for an active life, he greatly enjoyed daily drives in the beautiful country around Hartford, while many hours at home were spent writing stories of the older time, and the characters became very real to him as he followed their fates, and he would be moved to tears or laughter. This was
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not done for publication, but for his own diversion, and to fill the need he felt for employment. In Hartford as elsewhere his hospitality was a noted trait. Mr. Goodwin died after a short illness in October, 1907, aged eighty- three. Two sons survived him. His was a quiet, genial and unselfish life. He was a Christian and a gentleman, pure minded and fearless for what he deemed the right. He had much humor and a ready wit with a love for versification, and a volume of his verses was published for private circula- tion among his friends.
His life was in strong contrast to that of his brother, Henry L. Goodwin, who spent days in fighting for what he deemed were the rights of the people concerning the railroads, and for postal reform. He was the originator of the special delivery stamp and had much to do with the establishment of rural delivery.
The following lines from the pen of Mr. Goodwin afford an insight of the beauty of his character :
ARE NOT TWO SPARROWS SOLD FOR A FARTHING?
Last night afar I heard a bluebird singing, The south wind woke, and brought the brooklet's flow And near our gate, its tale of summer bringing, Leaved a first violet by a bank of snow.
I stooped, and would have plucked the tender firstling, And borne it home, a trophy of the year ; When to my breast, as from the gentle nursling, Came a low voice in words distinctly clear.
For I o'er worldly losses sore was grieving, And Hope and Faith had wandered from my side, So that I walked in shadows half believing There was no God, no Heaven, no Glorified.
It was the story of birds homeward flying; Of flowers that toil not or their garments spin : A sweet, calm voice upon the soft wind sighing Saying "O man, hast thou forgotten Him?
Who on the hillside in wise lessons blended The tale of nature with His wayside talk, The sparrow's value which the Father tended, The lily bending on its fragile stalk?"
And still the bluebird, through the dark clouds steering, Calls from afar, tho' wild the tempest blow, And the fair violet, its carol hearing, Smiles and awakens, fearing not the snow.
"Hast thou less faith than nature's gentle nurslings, Who bare their bosoms to the spring's first breath? Read then the story of their tender firstlings- Nor fear the conflict of thy life or death."
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SOWING AND REAPING.
Though I may never gather the fruit From the sunny orchard I plant with care, Or watch the leaf from its calyx short, Or the branches sway in the summer air, I will set the roots with believing hand And the soil about them carefully till; For though I may never gather the fruit, It is very certain that some one will.
And here, some day, will its greenery yield A place for the robin to build and nest, When the cattle shall wander over the field And lay them down in their summer rest ; And though I may never sit in the shade Or watch the cattle stray over the hill, Or see the nest that the robin made, It is very certain that some one will.
Then let me plant with believing heart, That year by year will the branches grow, And the young buds swell, and the blossoms start Till the sunny orchard is white as snow; And though I may never see the crown It shall wear when the summer day is still, Or watch it shattered by south winds strown It is very certain that some one will.
And many a pleasant Harvest home, When fruit is mellow, shall children keep; And down the road will the wagons come, When the master's hand has been long asleep. Still let him plant with believing heart, And set the roots with generous skill, For though he may never gather the fruit, It is very certain that some one will.
O friends, dear friends, let us sow and reap, Nor stay the hand tho' the sun is low, But remember how once it rose up from the deep And made our hearts glad in the long-ago; And that we are richer for those who wrought, 'Till the night stole in and the pulse grew still, Who sail, though we may not gather the fruit, It is very certain that some one will.
Denslow E. Allen
W HEN THE LIFE of such a man as the late Denslow E. Allen, of Manchester, Connecticut, comes to a close, its influence does not cease, for it was so ordered as to redound in abund- ant blessings to those with whom he came in contact, and set in motion forces which will continue to make for the good of the locality honored by his residence. For he was a man who, while laboring for his own advancement, never neglected his general duties as a neighbor and a citizen. He was public- spirited, assisting in every good movement for his city and county, and took great pride in the growth of both. He was a man of decided humanitarian impulses and his charitable acts were numerous, although few save the recipients were aware of the extent of his bounty. He was socially inclined and friendly, genial and uniformly courteous, so that he was a favorite with all classes wherever he was known. Persistent industry, close attention to his business affairs and absolute integrity in all his dealings, were the key- . notes to the success which followed his business efforts. He was very domestic in his tastes, and no place was as dear to him as his own home, where he spent the happiest hours of his life. He was of an optimistic dis- position, never allowing himself to become discouraged by adverse con- ditions, and in this way cheered up those with whom he was called upon to associate.
Denslow E. Allen, son of Elijah and Sarah Giles ( Robinson) Allen, was born in Vernon, Tolland county, Connecticut, about 1845, and died October 8, 1895. His boyhood years were spent in his native town, where he attended the public schools, and acquired a sound and practical education. Upon the completion of his education he was apprenticed to learn the bakers' and confectioners' trade, and followed this for a considerable period of time. Subsequently he went to Manchester, Hartford county, Connecticut, where he formed a business association with the late Charles B. Andrus, acting in the capacity of manager of his hotel for many years, and displaying admir- able executive ability in this responsible position. He became a prominent figure in the business and social life of Manchester, and was widely known, no affair of importance being considered complete without him.
Mr. Allen married Julia C. Andrus, a daughter of the Charles B. Andrus mentioned above, and his wife, Abbie (Williams) Andrus, and a grand- daughter of John Williams, who in his day was a large land owner in Rock- ville, Connecticut, and later traded his holdings there for a valuable farm in Tolland county, Connecticut. After the death of her father, Mrs. Allen, who is a woman of remarkable business capacity, as well as of much social charm, made large purchases of real estate and developed these to the best advan- tage, greatly increasing their original value.
Charles B. Andrus, son of Daniel and Sarah T. Andrus, was born in Wallington, and died in Manchester, Connecticut, when he had almost rounded out his seventy-ninth year. He acquired his school education in his
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native town, and was a lad of fourteen years when he came with his parents to Manchester, with which town his future life was identified. His father had acquired an excellent reputation as a carpenter and builder, but Charles B. did not care especially to follow this line of industry. As he had always been fond of horses, it was but natural that he should drift into this line of business, and find employment in a livery stable. So congenial did he find this employment that he continued it, later being the first man in Manchester to own a livery stable, which he conducted successfully for many years. For a time he conducted Bucks Hotel, at Oakland, and later the Cowles Hotel. When he withdrew from the conduct of this he opened a saloon in his own building, at the corner of North Main and North School streets, with which he was successfully identified for more than thirty years, and until it was destroyed by fire. In the course of time he had become the owner of a large amount of real property in Manchester and its suburbs. The last five years of his life were spent in comparative quiet and retire- ment. After the destruction of his business by fire, he made his home with his sister, Mrs. Ada Fargo, on Parker street, away from his friends and the busy, bustling life to which he had been accustomed. Although his friends called upon him frequently, he missed them greatly, and he was a familiar sight on the streets of Manchester with his favorite horse, and seated in the old fashioned phaeton, which had been built especially for him, as he was an extraordinarily large and heavy man. It was pleasant to listen to Mr. Andrus relate his experiences and recollections of earlier days, as he had a wonderful memory, was well versed in historical facts, and was an excellent conversationalist. For a year prior to his death he had been in ill health, and for the last six months of this period had been confined to his bed. He did not, however, realize that his illness would have a fatal termination, until a few hours before he passed away, and he was unconscious toward the last. The only immediate members of his family to survive him were his daughter and his sister. Three of his four brothers went west in early manhood, and as nothing had been heard from them in thirty years it is to be presumed that they are no longer in the land of the living; a fourth brother, Dr. George Andrus, returned to Manchester in recent years, and also died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Fargo. Mr. Andrus was buried in Buckland Cemetery, Rev. W. F. Taylor, of the North Methodist Church, officiating at the funeral services.
Samuel Remton Woodhouse
S AMUEL NEWTON WOODHOUSE, in whose death on October 29, 1913, the town of Wethersfield, Connecticut, lost one of its leading citizens, was a member of the dis- tinguished family of that name which has made Wethers- field its home since pre-Revolutionary times. The Wood- houses in general and Samuel Newton Woodhouse in par- ticular have exhibited since they settled in the region of Wethersfield those sterling and stalwart traits of mind and body that have made the New Englander proverbially successful and dominant wherever he appears on the face of the earth. From the immigrant ancestor, Joseph Woodhouse, who came from his native Bristol in old England early in the eighteenth century in company with his sister Dorothy and settled in Wethersfield, Connecticut, down to the children of Samuel Newton Wood- house, who represent the line to-day, the members of the family have been strong, courageous and capable men and women, choosing their careers from many different departments of activity, but uniformly successful in them all, and uniformly high-minded and faithful to their ideals of truth and virtue. From the time of Samuel Woodhouse, the original Joseph's son, that name has been handed down in unbroken sequence until the eldest son of our subject is the sixth to bear it consecutively.
The first Samuel Woodhouse was an ardent patriot during the Revo- lutionary period and the time of stress and peril which culminated in that momentous struggle, and although he was too advanced in years to take as active a part as his inclination urged him to, he nevertheless lived to see its successful termination, while his sons distinguished themselves in the patriot service. Descended from him were three Samuels consecutively, the great- grandfather, grandfather and father respectively of the Samuel Newton Woodhouse who forms the subject of this sketch. The first of these was the owner of large tracts of land in the neighborhood of Wethersfield, wealthy and home-loving and much beloved by his neighbors, but his son Samuel was of a peculiarly adventurous and courageous nature to whom the quiet country life of his ancestors appealed not at all. Accordingly he went to sea before the mast and there among the rough but simple seamen his dominant character and quick intelligence speedily asserted themselves, and he was raised from rank to rank until he became master of a vessel while still com- paratively a young man. He was a man in the prime of life when he lost his life in a storm which wrecked his ship. His only child, Samuel, the father of our subject, did not follow the sea as his father had done, but returned to the rural life of his earlier progenitors, and became a very successful farmer and was highly respected in Wethersfield, where he was chosen selectman for several years by his fellow-townsmen. He holds the distinction of being one of the first to introduce tobacco culture in Hartford county, where it now forms such an important industry. He was married to Mary A. Blinn, of
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Griswoldville, who bore him four children, three daughters and one son, Samuel Newton Woodhouse.
Samuel Newton Woodhouse was born in the old family home at Weth- ersfield. His grandfathers on both sides of the house had been well known sea captains and he appears to have inherited something of their enterprising spirit, though it did not take the same direction or lead him to face the perils of the deep. In his boyhood he received that training which has produced so many of the strong men of his native region, but which is unfortunately coming to be the lot of fewer and fewer of the youth of America. This is the training of the farm which unites wholesome work with healthy recre- ation, develops that strength and perseverance of character necessary in working in alliance with the great and slow processes of nature, and fosters simplicity through the intimate contact with these processes which it in- volves. He attended the local public schools for a time and there gained the elementary portion of his education. He was later sent away to the Waterbury High School at Waterbury, Connecticut, where he boarded away from home and pursued his studies to great advantage for some time. He prepared for a college course and afterwards matriculated at McGill Univer- sity. After completing his studies Mr. Woodhouse secured employment as a traveling salesman for Johnson & Robbins, large dealers in seeds at Weth- ersfield, and for two years followed this occupation, his field being through- out New England. He thus became familiar with the geography of much of his native region. At the end of two years, however, he was obliged to return to his old home in Wethersfield, as his father's health began to fail and it was necessary that he should take charge of the affairs there. Espe- cially was this necessary in the case of the farming operations which were carried on on a large scale and needed the direction of a strong and active man. Mr. Woodhouse at once assumed control from then and up to the time of his death gave his time and energy to the advancement of agriculture in Connecticut. He specialized in dairy farming, fruit raising and in tobacco culture, and was eminently successful in all these crops. His peach and apple orchards alone cover more than ten acres between them, and all his cultivation was on a corresponding scale. After he had successfully cul- tivated his farm for some years he made the discovery of an entirely unsus- pected source of wealth existing on his land. This was in the form of a spring of unusual purity and strength of flow. He was quick to see the opportunity offered by this abundant supply of fine water, and to avail him- self of it. He started at once to organize a company with a number of cap- italists and succeeded in forming the Griswoldville Water Company which now supplies practically the whole village with water.
Mr. Woodhouse was a member of the Republican party and an ardent supporter of its principles and policies, but of an independent mind, had thought much for himself on the political issues of his time and arrived at his conclusions without regard for partisan considerations. His sincerity and open-mindedness were so apparent that political lines and differences were no barriers to his friendships, many of which were numbered among the ranks of the opponents politically. His popularity was not overlooked by the local Republican organization in their search for available candidates,
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and in 1898 he was offered the party nomination to the State Legislature. Although Mr. Woodhouse was far from being a politician, or from the desire for public office, preferring rather to exert such influence as he might in his capacity as a private citizen, he would not refuse what was so evidently a popular demand for him on the part of his townsmen, and accordingly made a successful race for the office, which he held for that term to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents and fellow-citizens generally.
Mr. Woodhouse was affiliated with the Congregational church, and, although liberal in his religious views, was a staunch supporter of the church and the cause of religion generally. He was faithful in his attendance at divine service, and took an active part in the work of the congregation and materially supported the many benevolences connected therewith. He was a conspicuous figure in social and fraternal circles, and was especially promi- nent in the Masonic order, being a Mason of the thirty-second degree. He was also a member of the Wethersfield Grange.
On October 24, 1877, at Guilford, Connecticut, Mr. Woodhouse was married to Elvira Dudley, a daughter of William and Mary (Chitenden) Dudley, old residents of that place. To Mr. and Mrs. Woodhouse were born four children, as follows: Samuel Dudley, a graduate of Yale Univer- sity, who married Edith Jonas, of Boston, by whom he has had two chil- dren, Samuel-the seventh to bear that name-and William, the boys being twins; James Merriman, who married Alice Cameron, of Hartford, and is now a resident of Wethersfield; William Dudley, who died June 7, 1912, at the age of twenty-seven years; David Robbins, who married Mabel Burwell, of Winsted, Connecticut, and is now a resident in Wethersfield. Mr. Wood- house is survived by his wife and three of his sons.
Samuel Newton Woodhouse was a man whose character united in itself many happy and some apparently contradictory traits. A man of shrewd opinions and unusually keen insight into human character and motives, he saw at a glance the foibles and weakness of those he associated with, yet such was his breadth of sympathy that he condemned no man. If men felt his keen insight, they also felt his charity which removed all sting from the former, and gave them a sense of security in his presence. He was, in short, one of those rare characters who distinguish between the sin and the sinner, condemning sternly the former, but full of tolerance for the latter. On himself he was not so easy. He laid down a high standard of ethics for his own guidance and schooled himself strictly to abide by its demands. His capacity for business was great, but he was as strict in all business relations as in those of private life, and established an enviable reputation for himself for integrity and trustworthiness throughout the region. In those more public relations also, involved in his official activities, he maintained the same high standard of disinterested service, and strict regard for his high trust. His death was a very real loss, not only to his immediate family and friends but to the community at large, which had received benefit from his many activities.
Rowland Swift
B UT FEW DEPARTMENTS of business activity present in their records a greater number of names held in general reverence and admiration than that of banking, and espe- cially is this true in New England where, among those con- nected with the development of this so essential activity, we find so many splendid men, men who have stood for progress and advance in all that has meant their communities' wel- fare. Among such there is no name better known or more highly honored than that of the late Rowland Swift, president of the American National Bank of Hartford, Connecticut, whose death in that city in 1902, at the ad- vanced age of about sixty-nine years, deprived it, and the whole State, of one of the leading citizens thereof, and the business world of one of its most influential and venerable figures.
Rowland Swift was born in Mansfield, Connecticut, February 22, 1834, a member of an ancient and prominent family of that region, and the son of Earl and Laura (Ripley) Swift, residents there. The father was well known as Dr. Earl Swift, a graduate of Yale University, or College, as it was then, with the class of 1805. Rowland Swift spent the first sixteen years of his life in his native town and during that time devoted his time to gaining an excellent education in the local schools, a task in which his early ambi- tions rendered him very precocious in accomplishing. When he was but sixteen years of age he brought an end to his schooling and, leaving the paternal home, made his way to Hartford. This was in the year 1840 and the youth, bright of manner, and alert of mind, was not long in securing a position as clerk in the store of Joseph Langdon, a successful merchant of the city at that time. After two years spent in this capacity he had an oppor- tunity to become a clerk in the Hartford County Bank, as it was then called, and thus began an association which was to last him the remainder of his life and proved of such great value to the institution. The growth of the bank seemed to keep pace with the advance of Mr. Swift in rank, which, indeed, was speedy, as the talents he displayed were of a marked order and quickly gained him the favorable notice of his superiors, the officers of the concern. He was promoted from time to time from one clerical position to another, until in 1854, twelve years after entering the bank, he was elected cashier thereof and at once began to take a very active share in its manage- ment. In 1865 the Hartford County Bank became the American National of Hartford and a new era of prosperity and importance began. Six years later, 1871, Mr. Swift was elected president, an office which he continued to hold until his death and the duties of which he continued actively to fulfill until a few weeks from that event. He was the oldest bank president in the city, and his service with the institution he had so long been associated with had lasted since its earliest days, just subsequent to its organization. He witnessed, therefore, practically its whole career and played a very im- portant part in the direction of the greater portion of the same. But it was
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not merely in his capacity as banker that Mr. Swift was prominent in the life of his adopted city. There were but few movements for its advance- ment of any great moment that he was not connected with in some manner, and to many he gave not only his countenance as patron, but his time and energies in the active management of their affairs. Among the other busi- ness concerns with which he was connected were the Society for Savings of Hartford, of which he was the trustee, and the firm of Pratt & Whitney engaged in the manufacturing business, in which he had a large interest.
Outside of the business realm altogether he was equally active and held many important offices in the educational and philanthropic institutions of the region. Among these should be mentioned the Hartford Theological Seminary, of the board of trustees of which he was the senior member ; and the Watkinson Library of References of which he was the treasurer. He was also a director of the Retreat for the Insane and of the School for the Deaf in Hartford, and was the prime mover in the founding of the Repub- lican Club of the city. Politically he was a staunch upholder of the principles and policies for which the Republican party stood, but although his promi- nence and personal popularity would have made him a strong candidate, and his powers a most valuable public service in well nigh any office to which he might have been elected, yet his naturally retiring disposition caused him to shrink from that particular kind of activity, and this conjoined with the exacting nature of his many occupations caused him to remain aloof from that more active realm of politics in which, nevertheless, his talents were eminently fitted to have made him conspicuous. He was a man of strong religious feelings and beliefs, and more than most men he modeled his conduct upon the teachings of his church. He was for many years identified with the Center Congregational Church, of Hartford, and held the office of deacon therein for a considerable period. He was always most active in the work of the church and was a very material support to many of the benevolences connected therewith.
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